Lee Dong-gwan Hearing 'Precarious' from the 'First Button'... Plan Passed After Fierce Clash

Lee Dong-hwan Confirmation Hearing Implementation Plan Reapproved
Despite Opposition's 'Objection' Shouts, Chairman Jang Je-won Announces Approval and Expresses Regret
Jung Pil-mo: "Transition Committee Member Cannot Serve as Communications Commissioner for 3 Years... Legal Interpretation Needed"

The personnel hearing plan for Lee Dong-gwan, nominee for Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, was adopted after two rounds of voting amid various twists and turns. The opposition party raised concerns about Lee's past role as an advisor to the Presidential Transition Committee, questioning his qualifications as a candidate for the Communications Commission Chair. The issue of witnesses and reference persons for the hearing also remained unresolved between the ruling and opposition parties, foreshadowing a difficult confirmation process.

At the full meeting of the Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee held on the morning of the 10th at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Chairman Jang Je-won is striking the gavel to discuss the adoption of the plan for the confirmation hearing of Dong-gwan, the nominee for Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 10th, the National Assembly's Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee narrowly adopted the personnel hearing plan and the request for document submission for nominee Lee. This was the first meeting since May where both ruling and opposition parties faced each other, and it proceeded amid intense confrontations. Initially, it was expected that the hearing plan and document submissions would proceed smoothly based on an agreement between the party coordinators, but the session was marked by clashes between the parties.

Despite the approval declaration by Jang Je-won, Chairman of the Science, ICT, Broadcasting and Communications Committee from the People Power Party, the plan had to undergo a re-vote due to procedural issues.

At the start of the meeting, Chairman Jang blocked the opposition lawmakers' requests to proceed with the agenda and suggested handling the agreed matters first. After presenting the personnel hearing plan, he asked, "Is there any objection to approving the hearing plan?" Opposition lawmakers responded, "We object," opposing the approval. However, Chairman Jang declared, "The plan is approved," and proceeded with the vote.

Despite the objections, the plan was approved, prompting opposition lawmakers to raise procedural concerns. Chairman Jang countered by saying there had already been an agreement between the party coordinators. Eventually, the plenary session stalled and was adjourned with opposition lawmakers leaving the meeting.

After the session resumed, Jo Seung-rae, the Democratic Party coordinator of the committee, said, "Despite objections, the approval process proceeded unilaterally," and requested an apology from Chairman Jang. Chairman Jang expressed regret, saying, "I deeply regret overlooking the objections," but explained, "It is customary to approve matters agreed upon by the coordinators, so the process was carried out accordingly." He clarified that he did not hear the objections and added, "If a re-vote is requested, I will listen to opinions and conduct the re-vote."

At the full meeting of the Science, Technology, Information and Broadcasting and Communications Committee held on the morning of the 10th at the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, Chairman Jang Je-won is striking the gavel amid protests from Democratic Party lawmakers to discuss the adoption of the plan for the confirmation hearing of Lee Dong-kwan, nominee for chairman of the Korea Communications Commission.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

During the re-vote process, another issue emerged: objections were raised regarding whether Lee could qualify as the Communications Commission Chair candidate.

Democratic Party lawmaker Jeong Pil-mo referred to the nominee as "Mr. Lee Dong-gwan" and pointed out, "There are disqualifications for serving as a Communications Commissioner." He cited Articles 1 and 10 of the Act on the Establishment and Operation of the Korea Communications Commission, which guarantee the independent operation of the Commission and stipulate that a person must wait three years after serving on the Presidential Transition Committee to qualify. He noted, "Although Mr. Lee was not a member of President Yoon Seok-yeol's transition committee, he served as an advisor and is currently a special advisor to the president." He added, "The law intends to ensure the Commission's independence by preventing those with direct influence on the president from serving, so this disqualification was created. Lee's nomination contains illegal elements, so the hearing itself is highly problematic. The personnel hearing should be reconsidered."

Considering the legislative intent of the Communications Commission Act, which requires a three-year waiting period for transition committee members to ensure the Commission's independence, this could constitute a disqualification.

Regarding this, lawmaker Jo said, "Even if party coordinators agree, individual lawmakers' personal convictions and judgments as constitutional institutions should be respected," citing the precedent of nominee Choi Min-hee. He explained, "Although Choi was not directly involved in telecommunications operators, media reports indicated she was deemed unqualified because she worked for a nonprofit organization funded by a telecommunications operator." He continued, "If we interpret the clause about transition committee members serving as commissioners within three years broadly, those who worked for the transition committee could also face qualification issues. I hope the Communications Commission requests an official interpretation from the Ministry of Government Legislation."

In response, Chairman Jang asked, "Do you want a standing vote?" and lawmaker Jeong insisted, "I want a vote." Jeong said, "I request a vote after receiving an official interpretation regarding the nominee's qualifications. I think it is better to postpone the vote today." Chairman Jang repeatedly asked if they preferred a standing vote instead of consensus processing. Lawmaker Jo proposed a compromise to agree on requesting the official interpretation through party coordinators and adopt the personnel hearing plan on the 18th.

Candidate Lee Dong-gwan, nominee for Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission, is answering questions from reporters on the 1st. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Ultimately, this proposal was accepted, allowing the personnel hearing plan to pass.

However, the contentious issue of adopting witnesses and reference persons remained unresolved between the ruling and opposition parties, leading to an adjournment with plans to continue discussions between party coordinators.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.